merican tour. The proposed law, Mr.
Roosevelt repeated, was in no sense experimental. It was "based on the
best and most successful precedents, as for instance on the recent
Cunard contract with the British Government." So far as South America
was concerned, its aim was to "provide from the Atlantic and Pacific
coasts better American lines to the great ports of South America than
the present European lines." Under it "our trade friendship" would "be
made evident to the South American Republics."[ID]

Backed by the explanatory report and this message, the friends of the
measure opened the debate, February 25, Mr. Grosvenor leading. It was a
great debate, long and hot. Numerous amendments were put in; some
changing the proposed routes, others adding new ones. At length on March
1, three days before the end of this Congress, the much amended bill was
passed, and went back to the Senate for concurrence.[IE]

As it now stood it was shorn of the provisions for lines from the
Pacific coast to Japan, China, the Philippines, and Australasia. The new
subsidized lines were all to run to South America. Two of these were to
run from the Atlantic coast to Brazil and Argentina, respectively; one,
from the Pacific coast to Peru and Chile; and one from the Gulf of
Mexico to Brazil. On all four lines sixteen-knot steamers were required,
with speed on the average above the European mail lines to South
America. The subsidies were reserved exclusively to ships to be built in
the United States, so that the mail service could not be performed by
existing steamers; thus a wholly new ocean-mail fleet was
guaranteed.[IF]

The bill was reached in the Senate March 2, and strenuous efforts were
made by Senator Gallinger and others to push it through. But it failed
in the closing hours of the session to reach a vote. So this measure
fell.[IG]

Another effort was made in the Sixtieth Congress. In his message at the
beginning of this Congress (December 2, 1907) President Roosevelt
recommended an amendment to the act of March 3, 1891, "which shall
authorize the postmaster-general in his discretion to enter into
contracts for the transportation of mails to the Republics of South
America, to Asia, the Philippines, and Australia at a rate not to exceed
four dollars a mile for steamships of sixteen-knots speed or upward,
subject to the restrictions and obligations" of that act. In other
words, to give the same subsidy to steamers in these services as a